What Can A Wedding Planner Do For Us?

I recently had a consult that posed an interesting, but common question...."What can a wedding planner do for us?" There are several answers to that question and I thought I'd take this opportunity and blog about it.

I often explain to my clients (and potential clients) that we have been in the wedding industry for over ten years. Having that experience and more importantly, having built some amazing relationships with various professionals in the industry, we have the "in" that most couples will not have. We save couples time and frustration by having done all the "homework" on business' for you. For example, if you tell me your style, budget and overall look or theme that you're hoping to achieve on your wedding day, I can give you two or three venues that will suite that style, budget and look in a matter of minutes. The same applies for photographers and various other services. And if you've ever been to a bridal show, you know there are tons of venues, business' and personalities to comb through in order to find your right fit. Our experience allows us to know the reputable business' in the industry and quite honestly - the ones to stay away from.

An excellent wedding planner will save you enough money to cover her or his own fees. That's right, with our contacts we'll get preferred vendor discounts, but we'll also provide you cost effective measures to keep even the tightest budget on track. For example, have you ever considered that an a la cart menu, with an open bar, at some of the most expensive downtown venues, can be more cost effective while providing more food than the "wedding packages" they offer you? Most couples don't even consider this an option and assume it's more expensive, but we've done it and come away with some shocked couples when they breakdown the numbers! We'll give you some great ideas on scheduling events that will trim your budget, and we utilize all the wholesalers necessary in order to save you even more money, something that can only be done with a vendor's permit.

A great planner will also be able to fuse together your vision, taste, budget and style to help create the wedding of your dreams. This could mean creating centerpieces for you, developing your decor, including linens, backdrops, ceiling swags, etc,. If you're someone that has difficulty envisioning your wedding day or needs several suggestions on creating a day that works for you, then we'll help you with that also. Getting to know clients is key in wedding planning and developing a relationship with them that will transcend into their wedding day, is something you should come to expect from a great wedding planner.

I will end by telling you about an incident that occurred about three years ago at a wedding where the couple had planned their own wedding and hired us to coordinate their rehearsal and wedding day. Though I had confirmed the limousine two weeks prior to the wedding day, the driver called me on the wedding day morning to inform me they were overbooked and could not complete the job. Without wasting any time I made a call to one of my reliable partners in the industry and asked him to fill in. He agreed to do the job, free of charge as a favour to me and picked up all the necessary parties without the couple knowing anything about it on their wedding day. The couple, their family and friends enjoyed the wedding, the way it was meant to be.... seamlessly!

Happy Planning,
Liz B.
Bridal Solutions INC. Wedding Planning & Event Production
613-866-7935

Jessica & Matt Get Married!

WOW! We're back from the Dominican and Jess and Matt, along with 23 of their guests enjoyed their beautiful destination wedding at Riu Bachata in Puerto Plata. What a fantastic week to bond with others and enjoy the company of their family and friends; they really had a wonderful group of family and friends with them! There is certainly something to be said about destination weddings and that is that the bonding that occurs during the week can not be created at a traditional wedding, as well as the focus really is on the couple and ceremony verses what some believe can at times turn into a bit of production at a local wedding.

The ceremony was held in a white gazebo overlooking the mountains, ocean and beautiful greenery - you could not have asked for a better location. Darryl Waddell, a talented photographer from Toronto took these amazing shots and I'm all too happy to share them with you! Apart from the curious on-lookers and dreamy guests, Dreamfilm Productions from Vancouver, B.C. was present, filming the ceremony and then interviewing Jess, Matt and myself. Dreamfilm Productions is currently working on a documentary which explores why couples continue to get legally married despite other options and the high divorce rate. The documentary will air in late January 2011, on CBC and we'll keep you posted with the details.

Apart from the beautiful wedding, we all enjoyed a day on a private catamaran, snorkeling, drinking and eating - arranged at a fraction of the price by myself. Many also took advantage of a three-hour city tour that was also arranged by yours truly and several guests had the pleasure of receiving upgraded rooms at no charge to them....boy it pays off to speak Spanish as my first language! :0 Lastly, we surpised the guests with a wonderful candy station at the private party held after the wedding dinner. A sweet surprise after one week withdrawal of any local candy and chocolate.

Congratulations Jess and Matt!! You're a wonderful couple and I wish you continued happiness!

Happy Planning to all!

Liz B